sickening
adjective
sick·en·ing
ˈsi-kə-niŋ 
ˈsik-niŋ
: causing sickness or disgust
a sickening odor
a sickening display
Examples of sickening in a Sentence
a sickening display of selfishness
We heard the squeal of brakes and a sickening thud.
Recent Examples on the Web
At the bottom of the Olympia delle Tofane slope, in the grandstands about 2,000 feet below, there was nothing but a sickening silence after Vonn’s crash.
—
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
The rest of us could only imagine Randall’s sickening embarrassment at needing to testify at the trial.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Her death — sudden, severe, senseless — is sickening.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Officers then fired tear gas, filling the air and sickening a 2-year-old girl and her mother who were playing in a nearby field.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sickening
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Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
The rest of us could only imagine Randall’s sickening embarrassment at needing to testify at the trial.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Her death — sudden, severe, senseless — is sickening.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Officers then fired tear gas, filling the air and sickening a 2-year-old girl and her mother who were playing in a nearby field.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sickening
Cite this Entry
“Sickening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sickening. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
sickening
adjective
sick·en·ing
ˈsik-(ə-)niŋ
: causing sickness or nausea
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